Sardar Patel 4116

7/24/2019 Sardar Patel 4116

1/10

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Biography

One of the greatest leaders of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

played a crucial role in the freedom struggle and unifying of

India. Check out this biography to get details about his life,

profile, & timeline.

Quick Facts

Also Known

As

Sardar, Iron Man of India, Bismarck of India ,

Patron Saint

National ity Indian

Religion Hinduism

Political

ideologyIndian National Congress

Born on 31 October 1875 AD

Zodiac Sign Scorpio

Born in Nadiad

Died on 15 December 1950 AD

Place of

deathMumbai

Father Jhaverbhai Patel

Mother Laad Bai

Siblings Dahiba, Kashibhai, Somabhai, Narsibhai,Vithalbhai Patel

Spouse: Jhaverba Patel


2/10

Children Maniben Patel , Dahyabhai Patel

Education Middle Temple

Awards 1991 - Bharat Ratna

Quick Facts

Popularly known as the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai

Patel was one of the founding fathers of the Republic of India. A

statesman of integrity, he played a quintessential role in helping

India garner independence from the British rule. However, his

role in the independence struggle did not end with just that as

he was the man who guided the country to become a united,

independent nation. Born in a Gujarati family, Patel was

academically trained to become a lawyer. However, inspired by

the works and teachings of Gandhi, he switched to give his life

for the Indian struggle for independence. One of the leaders of

the Indian National Congress, he raised to prominence in hishome state for his outstanding work of saving peasants of

Gujarat from the oppressive policies imposed by the British Raj,

through non-violent civil disobedience. It wasnt long before

Patel became the trailblazer in the nationalist movement. It was

for his ability to lead from the front that he was given the

forename, Sardar, meaning Chief. Patel is also credited for

establishing modern all-India civil services and for the same, isremembered as the Patron Saint of India's civil servants. It was

his sheer sense of wisdom, practical acumen, sharp mind, great

organizational skills and political insight that helped Patel


3/10

become one amongst the greatest leaders of India.

Childhood & Early Life

Born to a Gujarati family in the village of Karamsad,

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was the fourth of the six children

of his father, Jhaveribhai. He had three elder brothers,

and a younger brother and sister.

Ever since the young age, Vallabhbhai showed streak of

being tough and physically strong. Twice a month, he

would indulge in day-long fast, abstaining from food and

water.

Much of his education was attained in schools in Nadiad,

Petlad and Borsad. He completed his matriculation at theage of 22. While others in his family thought him to be

unambitious and unfocussed, Vallabhbhai had plans of

becoming a barrister.

To fulfill the same, he spent a number of years away from

his family. He studied on borrowed books from lawyers,

worked hard and saved funds and cracked the

examination in two years.

In the early years of practice, Vallabhbhai had a reputation

of being a fierce and skilled lawyer. He practiced in

Godhra, Borsad and Anand. He even served as the first

chairman of the E.M.H.S (Edward Memorial High School).

Having enough bank balance, Vallabhbhai applied for a

pass and ticket to England, which was granted to him

under the name V.T. Patel. Vithalbhai, who bore the same

initials, lured by the opportunity to fulfil his long-since

harboured plan, requested Vallabhbhai to allow him to

travel in the latters place.

For the sake of family honor and prestige, Vallabhbhai

allowed Vithalbhai to go in his place. Whats more, he

even financed his brothers stay and started saving againto accomplish his goals.

It was in the year 1911 that Vallabhbhai Patel finally lived

his dream as he travelled all the way to England. He


4/10

topped the 36-month course which he had enrolled in. It

was a remarkable feat as Patel had no formal college

education, unlike most others.

Though Patel was offered lucrative post by the British

Government, he rejected them all to come back to India.

Upon arriving in India, Patel started practicing as a

barrister in Ahmedabad. Soon he became a name to

reckon with in the legal circles. His European-style

clothes and urban mannerism had become the talk of the

town. Working hard, Patel greatly expanded his practice

and his wealth.

Entry Into Politics

In 1917, Patel stood for an election to become the

sanitation commissioner of Ahmedabad which he won

comfortably. Meanwhile, Patels interest in politics grew,

as he heard Gandhiji speak for the Swadeshi Movement.

Inspired by the words of Gandhi, Patel started active

participation in the Indian independence movement.

A meeting with Gandhi at the Gujarat Pol itical Conference

in Godhra led to Patel being designated to the position of

the secretary of the Gujarat Sabha, which would become

the Gujarati arm of the Indian National Congress.

Patels involvement in politics grew astronomically. He

fought against servitude of Indians to Europeans,

organized relief effor ts during plague and famine in Kheda

and took a leading role in the non-violent CivilDisobedience Movement against the payment of raised

tax, levied by the British. His leadership activities earned

him the title of Sardar.

He travelled village to village, garnering support from

peasants and other villagers for a state-wide revolt by

refusing the payment of taxes. He laid emphasis on unity

and non-violent demeanor despite provocation and also

briefed the villagers of the potential hardships that they

might have to face in the process.

When the revolt was launched, the British government


5/10

responded by conducting raids at the holdings of the

farmers. They even imprisoned thousands of villagers.

The revolt had attained a national status and earned

empathy from people across the country.

Embarrassed by the same, the government agreed to

negotiate with Patel. Not only did they suspend the

payment of revenue for the year, they even scaled back

the rate of tax, thus making Patel a national hero.

In 1920, Patel was nominated and elected as the

President of the newly formed Gujarat Pradesh Congress

Committee. He supported the non-cooperative movement

initiated by Gandhi.

Once a follower of Western fashion, Patel switched to

khadi. He even organized several bonfires of British goods

in Ahmedabad. Apart from these, Patel supported the

empowerment of women and worked for abolishing

alcoholism, untouchability and caste discrimination from

the society.

In his three terms as Ahmedabad's municipal president, he

transformed the city completely. He extended electricity,

drainage and sanitation facility to all parts of the city and

conducted major educational reforms. He even fought for

the recognition and payment of teachers

What is interesting to note is that Sardar Patel was

successful in building unity and trust among the people,

who despite falling into different caste and community anddivided by socio-economic lines, were united for a cause.

In 1928, the village of Bardoli suffered from famine and

steep tax hikes. To curb the problem, Sardar Patel

organized a struggle, which called for non-violent unity

from the villagers and a demand for complete denial of the

taxes to the Government.

The fate of the satyagraha started in Bardoli was similar

to that of Kheda as the British government agreed on

repealing the tax hike. The victory brought Sardar Patel

into limelight and highlighted his role as a typical Sardar


6/10

or leader. Due to this, more and more people started

addressing him as Sardar Patel.

Vallabhbhai Patel was appointed as the interim leader of

Congress in the 1931 Karachi session. During his term,

Patel committed to protecting the fundamental rights and

human freedom and envisioned India as a secular nation.

It was during this time that the relationship between

Gandhi and Patel blossomed. The two, despite having

arguments and contrasting theories, shared a close bond

of love, affection, trust and respect.

Since 1934, Patel played a significant role in the Indian

National Congress; he became chairman of its Central

Parliamentary Board. His profile included raising funds,selecting candidates and determining Congress stance on

issues and opponents. Though he did not contest in the

election, he helped several Congressmen in getting

elected in the provinces and at the national level

Role in Quit India Movement

An ardent supporter of Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel tookactive participation in the Gandhi-led Quit India

Movement. He believed that the mass civil disobedience

would compel the British to leave the nation like in

Singapore and Burma.

Under the pressure of Gandhi and Patel, the All India

Congress Committee launched the mass civil

disobedience in the form of Quit India Movement onAugust 7, 1942.

Patel influenced the large crowd that had assembled to

take part in the civil disobedience, which included forced

shutdown of the civil services and refusal to pay taxes. It

was his powerful speech that electrified nationalist, even

those who were sceptical about the rebellion.

Vallabhbhai Patel was arrested two days later on August 9

and was released after three years on June 15, 1945.

Strikes, protests and revolutionary activities ruled India


7/10

and Indians during this time with the result turning out in

the countrys favour, as British decided to leave India and

transfer the power to Indians.

Role in Partition

In the 1946 election for the Congress Presidency, Patel

was nominated as the candidate for the elections.However, he refused the position on the advice of Gandhi,

which was eventually taken over by Jawaharlal Nehru.

The election was important in terms of the fact that the

elected President would lead free India's first Government.

Patel was free-Indias first Home Minister and Minister of

Information and Broadcasting. He was also the first of the

Congress leaders to support the partition of India, as a

solution to curb the rising communal violence and Muslim

separatist movement, led by Mohammad Jinnah.

He managed to lobby for the partition successfully, by

making Nehru, Gandhi and other Congress leaders accept

the proposal. He represented India on the Partition

Council, and oversaw the division of public assets.

Though patel argued to have agreed for the partition to

cease communal violence, little did he anticipate the

bloody violence and population transfer that would take

place as a result of it.

Role in Indias Integration

At the time of independence, India was divided into three

parts. The first was the one directly under control of the

British Government, the second was the territories rules

by hereditary rulers and third was the territory colonized

by France and Portugal.

Patel had realized that the dream for a unified and free

India could only be achieved if the three territories were

integrated as one. Blessed with practical acumen, great

wisdom and political foresight, he took up the uphill task

of unifying India.

He began lobbying with the princes and monarchs of the


8/10

separate states to accede to the government in full faith,

who were given two choices by the British either to join

India or Pakistan or stay independently.

Patels untiring efforts and relentless appeals reaped

fruitful result as he successfully persuaded 565 states,

except the three states of Jammu and Kashmir, Junagadh,

and Hyderabad. He used the tactics of invoking patriotism

in the Indian rulers and proposed favourable terms for the

merger

Junagadh on the other hand had acceded to Pakistan.

With more than 80% population as Hindu and its distance

from Pakistan, Patel demanded Pakistan to annul

accession and forced the Nawab of Junagadh to accedeto India. Hyderabad too joined the Indian Union by force,

after tha Razakar forces failed to match up to the Indian

army.

As for Kashmir, it was dur ing the Pakistani invasion of

Kashmir in September 1947 that Kashmir's monarch

acceded to India. Patel then oversaw India's military

operations to secure Srinagar and the Baramulla Pass. In

the days to follow, Indian forces retrieved much territory

from the invaders.

Personal Life & Legacy

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel tied the knot at the age of 18, to

Jhaverba, who was twelve years of age then. Following

the traditional Hindu customs, which allowed the bride tostay with her parents until her husband had a decent

income and an established household, the two stayed

apart for a few years until Sardar Patel had definite

income to fall back on.

Along with Jhaverba, he set up a house in Godhra. The

couple was blessed with a daughter, Manibehn, in 1904,

and a son, Dahyabhai, two years later.

In 1909, Jhaverba, who was suffering from cancer,

underwent a major surgical operation. Though the

operation was successful, Jhaverbas health continued to


9/10

decline. She passed away the same year. Patel was

against remarrying and instead raised his children with the

help of his family.

Patels health started declining in the summer of 1950.

Though he was taken care of intensely, his health

worsened. To recuperate, he was flown to Mumbai, where

he lodged at the Birla House.

Sardar Patel breathed his last on December 15, 1950 after

a massive heart attack. He was cremated at Sonapur the

ceremony was attended by a million people, including

Prime Minister Nehru, Rajagopalachari and President

Prasad.

Posthumously, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was awarded with

Indias highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna in 1991. His

birthday, which falls on October 31, is celebrated as

Sardar Jayanti.

While his home in Karmsad has been preserved in his

memory, in 1980 Sardar Patel National Memorial was

established, which houses a museum, a gallery of

portraits and historical pictures and a library.

A number of educational inst itutes in India have been

named after him, including the nations premier institutes

Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology,

Sardar Patel University, and Sardar Patel Vidyalaya,

Sardar Patel Statue of Unity

In order to honour the pivotal contribution of Sardar Patel

in integrating India,after independence, by uniting 562

princely states, Government of India is planning to build a

182 metres (597 ft) tall statue of Sardar Patel. It will be

the world's tallest statue and will be built directly facing

the Narmada Dam, 3.2 km away on the river island called

Sadhu Bet near Vadodara in Gujarat. The total cost of the

whole project will be Rs 2,979 crore.

Trivia

He is popularly known by two names, the Iron Man of


10/10

India and Bismarck of India.

For his leadership activities and the ability to lead

thousands of people, he was given the forename Sardar .

He was instrumental in the founding the Indian

Administrat ive Service and the Indian Police Service and

is therefore known as the Patron Saint of India's servicesHe successfully completed the uphill task of unifying the

princely states of India to join the Indian union. He

persuaded the princes of 565 states to accede to India.

Documents

Sardar Patel 4116